NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

1. NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre Culture FoR 3-6 comprehension

2. Acknowledgement of Country We acknowledge the traditional Custodians of this Land, where the Aboriginal People have performed age-old ceremonies of storytelling, music, dance and celebration. We acknowledge and pay respect to the Elders past and present, and we acknowledge those of the future, for they will hold the memories, traditions and hopes of Aboriginal Australians. We must always remember that under the concrete and asphalt this Land is, was, and always will be traditional Aboriginal Land. 2

3. Professional Teaching Standards Standards addressed at Professional Competence in this workshop include: 1.2.2: Apply research-based, practical and theoretical knowledge of the pedagogies of the content/discipline(s) taught to meet learning needs of students. 6:2:1: Reflect critically on teaching and learning practice to enhance student learning outcomes. 6.2.3: Engage in professional development to extend and refine teaching and learning practices. 3

4. Leading Focus on Reading 3-6 in your school program Module 1 1 x 2hr Module 2 1 x 2hr Module 3 1 x 2hr Module 4 1 x 2hr Leading FoR 3-6 success Leadership FoRand of 3-6 literacy learning Leading FoR 3-6 differentiation Culture FoR 3-6 comprehension Between-module tasks

5. Session overview • During this session, you will: • consider the important connections between the school and its culture • understand the interrelatedness of re-structuring and re-culturing • describe changes to your school and its culture with supporting evidence • consider ways to sustain changes to the teaching of comprehension in the school.

6. Making connections

7. Plans not excuses In this school we make plans now, not excuses. (Dinham, 2008)

8. the school = structures (time, space, roles and responsibilities) its culture = what counts around here

9. Culture Culture is the result of messages that are received about what is really valued. People align their behaviour to these messages in order to fit in. Changing culture requires a systematic and planned change to these messages, whose sources are behaviour, symbols and systems. (Taylor, cited in Blood & Thorsborne, 2005)

10. Organisational culture Schein (in Timperley, Wiseman & Fung) describes three levels of organisational culture that he likens to an iceberg: Level 1: Tangible elements (the tip of the iceberg) Level 2: Values and beliefs (above waterline and partly visible below the waterline) Level 3: Underlying assumptions (under the water and out of sight)

11. Culture and structure Culture and structure are interdependent … for structures to effect change, it is also necessary to attend to the underlying culture. Culture affects the structures put in place in a new initiative … Structures can also, however, influence cultures. (Stoll, 2000)

12. Structure and culture If the timetable does not allow teachers to meet, they may become worn down and captives of their schedule – ‘prisoners of time’ (National Education Commission on Time and Learning, 1994). Under these circumstances, collaboration becomes exhausting and contrived – tagged on rather than integral to ordinary commitments and working relationships. (Timperley, Wiseman & Fung, 2003)

13. Structure and culture Peterson, McCarthey and Elmore (in Timperley, Wiseman & Fung, 2003) found that: restructuring by itself does not change student learning or teacher practice.

14. Re-culturing and re-structuring Fullan states that: We need to support and encourage re-culturing and re-structuring. Re-culturing = developing new values, beliefs and norms and aligning our actions with these. Re-structuring = developing roles and structures which enable new cultures to survive. (Fullan, 1993)

15. Re-structuring and re-culturing According to Stoll & Fink (1996): Successful schools were able to link their re-structuring and re-culturing efforts so as to bring about changes effectively. For example, they adapted timetables, created new policies, amended roles and responsibilities, developed clear lines of authority and responsibility, provided time for people to meet; hired new staff to ‘fit’ and help steer the changing direction of the school; and facilitated coordination of the process. (Stoll & Fink, 1996, cited in Timperley, Wiseman & Fung, 2003)

16. A balanced response When thinking about change it is worth considering a balanced response that incorporates simultaneous change to structure and culture.

17. personalisation learning School/culture changes The school and its culture precision teaching & learning teaching professional learning

18. How do you know? Building up statements about change. Refer back to the changes to your school and its culture. For each change, turn it into a statement and provide the evidence you have for this statement. We are now working collaboratively as a team. This is evidenced by our collaborative planning based on student assessment information. An allocation of time to work on the between-module tasks has enabled this to occur. 18

19. Types of evidence structure culture 19

20. Re-culturing and re-structuring re-culturing We are now working collaboratively as a team. This is evidenced by our collaborative planning based on student assessment information. An allocation of time to work on the between-module tasks has enabled this to occur. re-structuring 20

21. Successful change …it is important that a sense of urgency remain concerning each student’s literacy success. Becoming stagnant or sluggish is not an option for educators … The use of results can keep the focus on preventing reading failure. (Whitfield & Moore, 2007)

22. Successful change • Characteristics of teacher professional learning processes that are likely to improve student outcomes: • challenging problematic discourses especially around low expectations for students • providing opportunities to participate in a professional community that was focused on the teaching-achievement relationship • emphasising how teachers contribute to student learning and well-being • using assessment to enhance teacher self-regulation • focusing on the impact of teaching on the student. • (Timperley et al, 2008)

23. Successful change At the school level, teachers and principals need to ... collaborate in the delivery of reading instruction with a model that puts the students first and use data to inform instruction and improve teaching practices, ... Within classrooms, teachers must reflect on their instruction and implement research-based practices that focus on providing support to promote active student involvement in high-level cognitive tasks and develop and maintain high expectations for student learning.(Taylor et al, 2004)

24. Successful change • The draft principles of Response to Intervention (RTI) outlined by the International Reading Association (2009) include: • responsive teaching and differentiated instruction • careful assessment to inform planning and teaching.

25. Approaches to change Threat aware Opportunities Long-term Short-term

26. Awareness Information Personal Collaboration Refocusing Management Consequence

27. Developing a plan to sustain changes to the teaching of comprehension • In this school: • This is what we value about the teaching of comprehension. • This is how we teach comprehension.

28. Reflection Reflect on some research-based ways to sustain changes to students and their learning. Brainstorm factors to consider when planning for sustained changes to the teaching of comprehension in the school.

29. Bibliography Blood, P. & Thorsborne, M. (2005) The challenge of culture change: Embedding restorative practice in schools, Paper presented in Sydney. Dinham, S.(2008) How to get your school moving and improving, ACER, Melbourne. Fullan, M. (1993) Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform, The Falmer Press, London. PrincePlus <https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/PRINCEPlus/> Stoll, L. School culture (2000) Reprinted from School improvement network’s bulletin, no. 9, Autumn, 1998. Timperley, H. S., Wiseman, J., Fung, I. (2003) The sustainability of professional development in literacy,Ministry of Education, New Zealand.